Refolding stash

After my last two projects my stash was in shambles. Not that it is very
big!!! Took everything off my shelves and made sure my labelling was up to
date. I tag every piece with it's yardage and what type of fabric store it
was bought in (Walmart, LQS, or Fabricland- whose quality for the most part
is between WM & LQS)

The fabric that I have had for a while now is quite creased so I re-folded
it differently, smoothing out the old folds. Do you regularly re-fold your
stash? Sometimes those folds are hard to iron out if they have sat at the
bottom of the pile for a long time!!!!

Ann...........ready to put the stash neatly back on the shelves
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrs_ducky

I spent the day just cleaning out my sewing room -- and bring my books and
magazines up to the 2nd story from the basement. But that meant making room
for them. I have about 1/3 less space in the bedroom than I had taken over
in the unfinished basement -- so getting everything in has been quite a job.
But definitely made progress.

Moved a lot of stash around -- but really didn't refold... although it could
use it!

Kate in MI


"Ann" wrote in message
news:aJ_1f.6425$y_1.3252@edtnps89...
After my last two projects my stash was in shambles. Not that it is very
big!!! Took everything off my shelves and made sure my labelling was up
to date. I tag every piece with it's yardage and what type of fabric
store it was bought in (Walmart, LQS, or Fabricland- whose quality for the
most part is between WM & LQS)

The fabric that I have had for a while now is quite creased so I re-folded
it differently, smoothing out the old folds. Do you regularly re-fold
your stash? Sometimes those folds are hard to iron out if they have sat
at the bottom of the pile for a long time!!!!

Ann...........ready to put the stash neatly back on the shelves
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrs_ducky

Wow Ann, you seem quite organized. My stash has no labels. What do
you use as tags? My fabric is arranged according to colours. I have a
seperate section of backing, batiks, Holiday, fat quarters and 30's
fabric. That's the extent of my organization. And no, it is not all
neatly folded! I recently went through my stash and gave lots away to
my DMIL's religious organization and it's the reason why it is somewhat
neat looking. That's only because I haven't gone through it like a
hurrican looking for fabric yet.

Carole (working off google)
Champlain, NY

I did that yesterday. I was hoping to be inspired by something that wanted
to be next - and I needed to know what was still here and what was going to
force me into S.E.X. It worked. What fun. Even took out some things that
I will never touch at gun point and shipped them off to Jill.
Now and then, not too often, I buy something online that comes in
rawthur dull - and I'm not going to stitch muddy dull. Jill will use it and
getting it gone to her will give me room for things that just jump in here.
Furry faces at shelters don't care what color her quilts are. Polly

"Ceridwen" wrote in message
ups.com...
Wow Ann, you seem quite organized. My stash has no labels. What do
you use as tags? My fabric is arranged according to colours. I have a
seperate section of backing, batiks, Holiday, fat quarters and 30's
fabric. That's the extent of my organization. And no, it is not all
neatly folded! I recently went through my stash and gave lots away to
my DMIL's religious organization and it's the reason why it is somewhat
neat looking. That's only because I haven't gone through it like a
hurrican looking for fabric yet.

Carole (working off google)
Champlain, NY

Just seems easier to have it all labelled and "filed" according to yardage.
that way if I'm making something that needs X number of yards I know which
piles to search through, instead of measuring fabric that I think "might" be
enough.

I took a 2 day class last year. On the second day of class I arrived with
my pieces cut, sorted, and like sizes and colours in baggies. The
instructor noticed my arrangement and said I was "concrete organizer" Ya
right!!! Only in some things.

Ann
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrs_ducky


"Ceridwen" wrote in message
ups.com...
Wow Ann, you seem quite organized. My stash has no labels. What do
you use as tags? My fabric is arranged according to colours. I have a
seperate section of backing, batiks, Holiday, fat quarters and 30's
fabric. That's the extent of my organization. And no, it is not all
neatly folded! I recently went through my stash and gave lots away to
my DMIL's religious organization and it's the reason why it is somewhat
neat looking. That's only because I haven't gone through it like a
hurrican looking for fabric yet.

Carole (working off google)
Champlain, NY

I don't use anything fancy for tags. Just cut up blank recipe cards. Then
pin them to the selvage. I use my old bent pins.....you know those pins
that you are not suppose to run over by the sewing machine? LOL

Ann
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrs_ducky

"Ceridwen" wrote in message
ups.com...
Wow Ann, you seem quite organized. My stash has no labels. What do
you use as tags? My fabric is arranged according to colours. I have a
seperate section of backing, batiks, Holiday, fat quarters and 30's
fabric. That's the extent of my organization. And no, it is not all
neatly folded! I recently went through my stash and gave lots away to
my DMIL's religious organization and it's the reason why it is somewhat
neat looking. That's only because I haven't gone through it like a
hurrican looking for fabric yet.

Carole (working off google)
Champlain, NY

I'm afraid it would take me the rest of my life to measure and label all of
my stash. I have it more or less sorted by color, batiks, novelties, etc.
That's as organized as it will ever get!
--
Donna in Idaho
Website: www.LinusIdaho.org

"Ann" wrote in message
news:ud02f.19416$ir4.6580@edtnps90...
Just seems easier to have it all labelled and "filed" according to
yardage. that way if I'm making something that needs X number of yards I
know which piles to search through, instead of measuring fabric that I
think "might" be enough.

I took a 2 day class last year. On the second day of class I arrived with
my pieces cut, sorted, and like sizes and colours in baggies. The
instructor noticed my arrangement and said I was "concrete organizer" Ya
right!!! Only in some things.

Ann
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrs_ducky


"Ceridwen" wrote in message
ups.com...
Wow Ann, you seem quite organized. My stash has no labels. What do
you use as tags? My fabric is arranged according to colours. I have a
seperate section of backing, batiks, Holiday, fat quarters and 30's
fabric. That's the extent of my organization. And no, it is not all
neatly folded! I recently went through my stash and gave lots away to
my DMIL's religious organization and it's the reason why it is somewhat
neat looking. That's only because I haven't gone through it like a
hurrican looking for fabric yet.

Carole (working off google)
Champlain, NY

My stash looks like a tornado hit it. Yes, I was looking for a certain
fabric. I wish I was organized. Michele

Anne - my stash is in a permanent state of "shambles" (LOL).

Since I sew only rarely these days my stash has become "community
property" - literally. All the sewers in town pick through it. I have had
complete strangers come to my door with tiny scraps - and whimper
pathetically "my friend said you might have some of this".

The stash is so big now that I have everything less than 1 yard/metre in
boxes labelled by colour (about 65-70 last count). I use the post pack
boxes from the Post Office (unbleached cardboard, and just the right depth
to take FQs folded on end like a cabinet full of little coloured files!).
Larger pieces and panels are stacked on shelves (I have never counted how
many yards/metres - I don't think I want to know!). I don't worry about
creases too much but am careful to store fabric in either boxes or out of
direct sunlight. However, I seldom have it long enough to worry about
fading.

As we don't have a LQS closer than 60km away my classes love to pick through
and choose fabrics, and since many of them are new to quilting they don't
have stashes of their own. All have learned from using mine that "scrappy"
arrangements look good, and having so many fabrics available in only
relatively small quantities has encouraged them to be creative about their
choices. They can also cut only what they need from the stash and return
the rest.

Every two or three months I work out the average cost of fabric I am buying
and we all agree that will be the price of all the fabric - they pay only
what it has cost. Sometimes they pay a little more and sometimes a little
less than in shops, but they don't have to buy more than they need (eg. 2"
strips of 50 different fabrics) so they are more than happy with the
arrangement. And they can take fabric, and then return it if they change
their mind. The only "rule" is if you start a project you hold on to all
the fabric in your project until you are finished, and then chip in for what
you used and return the rest. Otherwise you can find your border fabric has
been used by another person!

I shudder at the sight of my sewing room after a new class has picked the
fabrics for their first quilts - usually a Round The World. It sometimes
takes me four hours to put it all away!! But it is wonderful to watch a new
sewer's taste in colour and style develop and change through those first two
or three quilts.

About twice a year I do have a massive clean up, and then sit back and
admire how good it looks. It usually lasts about 1 1/2 days that way!!!!
And my 2500 books and patterns are even more of a workload to keep track of.
But these things have brought me so many new friends in my new home town I
dread the day I will have to "retire" from teaching.

So even though I don't sew much anymore I can still indulge in fabric
shopping!! And I therefore still have to straighten out my stash regularly
too.

--

Cheryl

PS You can see the sewing room on webshots - it is half the floor area of
the house. It took me 30 years to get it and now I hardly ever sew in it!!
But it is still the centre of my "working day".



"Ann" wrote in message
news:aJ_1f.6425$y_1.3252@edtnps89...
After my last two projects my stash was in shambles. Not that it is very
big!!! Took everything off my shelves and made sure my labelling was up
to
date. I tag every piece with it's yardage and what type of fabric store
it
was bought in (Walmart, LQS, or Fabricland- whose quality for the most
part
is between WM & LQS)

The fabric that I have had for a while now is quite creased so I re-folded
it differently, smoothing out the old folds. Do you regularly re-fold
your
stash? Sometimes those folds are hard to iron out if they have sat at the
bottom of the pile for a long time!!!!

Ann...........ready to put the stash neatly back on the shelves
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrs_ducky

Wow Cheryl.....sounds like you have quite the stash!!!!!

Actually, my little clean up project this evening was done in hopes I would
get an idea of what to sew next. But nothing came to me.

I need to make 5 new Christmas stockings this year........promised new
DIL.....but I have no solid red. I want to make 2 I Spy quilts this winter,
but no novelty fabrics. I need border and backing fabric for my Tennessee
Waltz quilt that I'm making, but I don't have enough of anything to match.
So it's definately fabric shopping time!!!! And like you, I have to
travel........it's 50 km to the closed LQS.

Ann...........at a standstill with her projects
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrs_ducky

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
Anne - my stash is in a permanent state of "shambles" (LOL).

Since I sew only rarely these days my stash has become "community
property" - literally. All the sewers in town pick through it. I have
had
complete strangers come to my door with tiny scraps - and whimper
pathetically "my friend said you might have some of this".

The stash is so big now that I have everything less than 1 yard/metre in
boxes labelled by colour (about 65-70 last count). I use the post pack
boxes from the Post Office (unbleached cardboard, and just the right depth
to take FQs folded on end like a cabinet full of little coloured files!).
Larger pieces and panels are stacked on shelves (I have never counted how
many yards/metres - I don't think I want to know!). I don't worry about
creases too much but am careful to store fabric in either boxes or out of
direct sunlight. However, I seldom have it long enough to worry about
fading.

As we don't have a LQS closer than 60km away my classes love to pick
through
and choose fabrics, and since many of them are new to quilting they don't
have stashes of their own. All have learned from using mine that
"scrappy"
arrangements look good, and having so many fabrics available in only
relatively small quantities has encouraged them to be creative about their
choices. They can also cut only what they need from the stash and return
the rest.

Every two or three months I work out the average cost of fabric I am
buying
and we all agree that will be the price of all the fabric - they pay only
what it has cost. Sometimes they pay a little more and sometimes a little
less than in shops, but they don't have to buy more than they need (eg. 2"
strips of 50 different fabrics) so they are more than happy with the
arrangement. And they can take fabric, and then return it if they change
their mind. The only "rule" is if you start a project you hold on to all
the fabric in your project until you are finished, and then chip in for
what
you used and return the rest. Otherwise you can find your border fabric
has
been used by another person!

I shudder at the sight of my sewing room after a new class has picked the
fabrics for their first quilts - usually a Round The World. It sometimes
takes me four hours to put it all away!! But it is wonderful to watch a
new
sewer's taste in colour and style develop and change through those first
two
or three quilts.

About twice a year I do have a massive clean up, and then sit back and
admire how good it looks. It usually lasts about 1 1/2 days that way!!!!
And my 2500 books and patterns are even more of a workload to keep track
of.
But these things have brought me so many new friends in my new home town I
dread the day I will have to "retire" from teaching.

So even though I don't sew much anymore I can still indulge in fabric
shopping!! And I therefore still have to straighten out my stash
regularly
too.

--

Cheryl

PS You can see the sewing room on webshots - it is half the floor area
of
the house. It took me 30 years to get it and now I hardly ever sew in
it!!
But it is still the centre of my "working day".



"Ann" wrote in message
news:aJ_1f.6425$y_1.3252@edtnps89...
After my last two projects my stash was in shambles. Not that it is very
big!!! Took everything off my shelves and made sure my labelling was up
to
date. I tag every piece with it's yardage and what type of fabric store
it
was bought in (Walmart, LQS, or Fabricland- whose quality for the most
part
is between WM & LQS)

The fabric that I have had for a while now is quite creased so I
re-folded
it differently, smoothing out the old folds. Do you regularly re-fold
your
stash? Sometimes those folds are hard to iron out if they have sat at
the
bottom of the pile for a long time!!!!

Ann...........ready to put the stash neatly back on the shelves
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrs_ducky